Want to know a secret? A quick squiz of my About page will reveal my extensive experience in brand and advertising (no secret there). But what many people don’t know is, I’ve also been performing in TV, film and on stage for decades. That’s right, I’m an actress. In all honesty, it took me decades to open up to my brand and marketing clients about my double life. I feared that sharing my devotion to acting might lead to clients not taking me seriously or doubting my abilities as a brand strategist. So I kept my acting under wraps - until the day my belief system was turned on its head.
Why acting and brand strategy share strong synergies
I was working in one of Melbourne’s leading advertising agencies at the time - about a decade into juggling brand strategist by day/budding actress by night. One morning, when discussing this with another brand strategist, he said, “Jana, don’t you realise your acting and brand work are intrinsically linked? I thought your background in acting was what led you to work in advertising.” My colleague went on to explain something that I now see as quite obvious - acting and brand strategy share strong synergies. Here’s how these worlds collide…
Getting into character
Stepping into the shoes of a character is similar to getting under the skin of a brand. When researching an acting role, I’ll seek to understand what the character thinks, feels, needs and desires. What they are trying to achieve, problems they need to solve and challenges they are facing.
Similarly, when working on a brand strategy I seek to intimately understand the same things about the brand and its ideal customers. It’s an exhaustive search for the brand's authentic why - leaving no stone unturned.
Connection
Whether acting in TV, film or theatre, I find a way to identify with the character
I’m playing. To do this, I relate the role to something meaningful that’s happened in my life or the lives of people I’ve known. This groundwork helps build an authentic connection between the audience and my character. In the same way, creating unique brand stories is about making brands relatable. It’s about humanising the brand and developing stories around the brand that really resonate with your audiences.
Memorising lines
There are many, many strategies to memorising lines (thank you Google).
Coincidentally, I’ve been able to apply said techniques to running my own brand agency. Memorising deadlines, eagle-eyed project management, and remembering all the conversations continues to help me deliver strong outcomes for clients.
Be likeable
As an actress you need to sell yourself, be likeable and someone people
want to work with. As a brand (you guessed it), you need to sell yourself, be likeable, and be something people want to be around. Luckily I’m now well versed in both of these ventures.
It goes without saying - I no longer hide my love of acting with clients. In fact, the move to the Zoom-era means that some of my clients have even glimpsed my award for best supporting actress (in Malvern Theatre Company’s Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?, if you’re curious) in the background. Alongside my dogs, Ziggy and Frankie of course.
Once I realised these two worlds meet so seamlessly, I began to consciously apply what I’d learnt as an actress to my branding world (and vice versa). As a result, I’m more intuitive and resilient in my client work. I also get to talk about the arts a little more than before. It’s a win/win.
Want to talk about brand strategy for your business?
Or delve into line memorisation techniques?
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